


Will shine on us again

by fourth_rose



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Brother Feels, Character Death Fix, Fix-It, Gen, Loki (Marvel) Lives, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-07
Packaged: 2019-05-03 14:40:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14571159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fourth_rose/pseuds/fourth_rose
Summary: Loki may be known as the God of Lies, but he keeps his promises.





	Will shine on us again

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [blackbird singing in the dead of night](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14479461) by [Lise](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lise/pseuds/Lise). 



> This is a companion piece to Lise's wonderful Infinity War fix-it ficlet "blackbird singing in the dead of night", which you should read first because a) it makes the world a brighter place for Loki fans and b) the following story lacks context without it.
> 
> I wrote this ficlet right after reading Lise's story ten days ago, but I didn't work up the nerve to post it until now, so I'm sure that pretty much everything about it (including the title) has already been done by other writers in the meantime. However, since Lise graciously gave me permission to play in her sandbox, I finally decided to go ahead and share my first attempt at writing MCU fic :-)

The dirt road is tricky to navigate in the gray light of early morning, but Steve finds that he is actually glad of the distraction as he heads towards the beach he can already see in the distance. The cries of the seagulls overhead cut through the sound of the waves, audible even over the noise of his motorbike; it's a windy, chilly morning, and he doubts there will be anyone on the beach who isn't supposed to be there.

Loki chose the location, but there's no sign of him so far. Even though he was the one who wanted Steve there, he refused to come with him when Steve left the cottage half an hour ago and insisted on going by himself. Steve still isn't sure what to make of the fact that Loki wants him to witness the reunion with his brother, but mostly he's just relieved that Loki finally agreed to it at all because Thor must be going through hell right now.

Not that Steve and Loki's lives have been all sunshine and roses lately. Steve resolutely pushes the thought away; this isn't about him, even though he doesn't like to ponder the fact that the days of weirdly almost-comfortable companionship – as well as the nights of pulling each other out of their respective nightmares – are likely coming to an end. Both Thor and Loki deserve better, so it's no time for him to be selfish.

Steve parks the bike where the road ends and looks around; Thor is already there, standing with his face towards the water a little further down the beach. He's wearing jeans and a t-shirt, and it makes him look strangely... less than the man Steve remembers. His wind-tousled hair is longer than it was when Steve last saw him, and his shoulders are hunched in a way that probably has nothing to do with the early morning chill.

He turns his head when Steve approaches, and it's impossible to miss how his face falls when he sees that Steve is alone.

"Greetings, my friend. Are you –"

"He'll be here, Thor," Steve interrupts before Thor can finish the question. "He said he wanted to go by himself, but – he'll be here." He isn't sure whether he isn't making a promise he can't keep, but for Thor's sake he wants to believe that he's telling the truth. "He's doing better lately, and I'm sure –"

Steve falls silent when he realizes that Thor is no longer listening – he's looking up towards the sky, his face lit by an expression of almost painful hope. Steve follows his gaze to the seagulls lazily circling overhead... and to the single magpie, strangely out of place between them, that is moving swiftly towards the two men on the beach.

Thor raises his arm, and the magpie settles on it in a flutter of wings. It doesn't move when Thor lifts his free hand to run a finger over the shining black-and-white feathers – slowly and hesitatingly, as if he's isn't sure the bird isn't going to disappear the moment he touches it. The look of naked, incredulous joy on his face makes Steve feel like a voyeur, like he's intruding on a moment that should belong to two people only, but the promise he gave Loki keeps him where he is.

Thor seems to have forgotten Steve's presence anyway. He's utterly focused on the magpie on his arm, yet he doesn't startle when the bird suddenly blurs and then, with a flicker and a sound like a soft sigh, Loki is there, in his casual Asgardian clothes, his face half hidden behind strands of windswept black hair.

He's facing Steve, as if he wanted to make sure that Steve is actually keeping his promise, and Steve is grateful when Thor turns towards his brother because it means Steve can't see Thor's face anymore. Everything that's written in Thor's expression during that moment should be Loki's alone; Steve has no part in it, and if it weren't for the fact that Loki is still glancing towards him out of the corner of his eye, he'd already be backing off to give them some privacy.

Then Thor makes a strange sound and sinks to his knees in a sudden, graceless move that looks more like his legs collapsing under him than something he actually wanted to do. A flash of alarm crosses Loki's expression and disappears again when Thor wraps his arms around Loki's waist and presses his face into his chest. Loki freezes like a deer in the headlights, and Steve is suddenly, terrifyingly convinced that he's going to bolt, that Thor will be grasping at thin air in a second, but Loki just stands there, eyes wild and face even paler than it usually is. After what feels like an eternity, he raises his hand and, his gaze still on Steve as if he needed confirmation that he's doing the right thing, awkwardly places it on the back of Thor's head.

Steve takes a few hasty steps backward when Thor's shoulders start shaking, but it's not far enough, he can still hear Thor frantically whispering into the fabric of Loki's shirt, "I'm sorry, brother, I'm so, so sorry..."

Loki's eyebrows draw together into a bewildered expression that makes him look impossibly young; Steve can't help wondering if this is the brother Thor remembered, back then when he was still willing to talk of the happier times he and Loki had once shared.

"What for? You didn't kill me."

Steve winces; it's a harsh thing to say considering this is the first time Thor gets to hear Loki's voice since... then. Thor falls silent for a moment, but then he draws back a little so he can raise his head and look at his brother. "What I said – the last words I ever spoke to you..."

Loki finally lowers his gaze to meet Thor's eyes, and Steve breathes a tiny sigh of relief. He still seems confused, though, and Steve wonders if Loki even remembers what Thor said to him before he died, if his memories of those last moments aren't just a nightmarish blur of terror and desperation and pain. Steve isn't sure if he would _want_ to remember any details if he were in Loki's place.

"Ah." Loki must have worked out what Thor means after all, because his expression changes completely. Gone is the look of almost childlike uncertainty; instead, Steve recognizes the ghost of a smirk he hasn't seen since they tried to hold Loki captive on the helicarrier a lifetime ago. "Well, you weren't wrong."

Thor jerks away and scrambles to his feet; he's clearly about to protest, but Loki cuts him off before he can get a word in. "The worst brother, was it not? I'm sure I've earned the title, but then, I suppose so have you." The smirk intensifies when he adds, "It seems we've finally found a battleground where we're evenly matched."

Thor makes a sound like a cross between a guffaw and a half-suppressed sob. He reaches out to cup the back of Loki's neck, but Loki flinches so violently that Thor freezes with his fingers mere inches away from his brother's skin. Steve's stomach plummets; he remembers only too well what Thor told them of Loki's death, remembers Loki's own words after that first awful nightmare Steve witnessed: _He snapped my neck. After crushing my windpipe. It leaves an impression._

Steve doesn't even want to imagine how Thor must be feeling right now. Thor hastily tries to pull his arm back, but Loki's hand shoots up, grabbing his brother's biceps and keeping his arm in place.

"No." Loki's voice is shaking, but there's a look of fierce determination on his face; Steve doesn't think he has seemed so _alive_ ever since he showed up on Steve's doorstep. "I won't... he's not taking this from me too."

Steve still can't see Thor's face, but he doesn't need to in order to realize that Thor is crying. He curls his fingers around the back of Loki's neck, slowly and ever so gently, and leans forward to press his forehead against Loki's. Loki holds himself stiffly upright for a moment, but then his shoulders sag a little; he closes his eyes and leans into Thor's touch.

Steve takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, feeling his own nervous tension ease a bit. He figures he can finally give them some privacy without breaking his word to Loki, so he retreats towards the end of the road where he left his bike. It's far enough that the wind snatches away everything Thor and Loki might be saying to each other before it reaches Steve's ears, but he can still see them standing with their heads bowed together.

Feeling lighter than he has in a long time, Steve turns his face into the wind and listens to the cries of the seagulls and the slow, steady breath of the ocean. On the horizon, the sky is beginning to light up in shades of red and pink and gold, and Steve leans against his bike and settles in to watch the sun rise.


End file.
